{"id":1860,"date":"2025-01-14T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2025\/01\/14\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/"},"modified":"2025-01-14T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T11:00:00","slug":"lost-art-preaching-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What do we mean when we talk about \u201cgood preaching\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two kinds of preaching predominate the American evangelical landscape today: the first we\u2019ll call \u201cmoral preaching,\u201d and the second we\u2019ll call \u201cdoctrinal preaching.\u201d Moral preaching is\u2014as should be self-evident\u2014preaching that aims at moral transformation. It has in its sights the way that we live<\/em>. At its worst, moral preaching takes the form it took in one chapel speaker I remember at my nondenominational Christian high school: \u201cIf you\u2019re not drinking, smoking, or sleeping around, well, you\u2019re doing all right.\u201d (Even this high schooler who was not \u201cdoing all right\u201d by that assessment felt there was something off about this sermon.) But there are more genuine, robust, even \u201cbiblical\u201d forms of moral preaching. The best moral preachers\u2014most of them engaging orators in bustling megachurches\u2014bring conviction of sin and send out their hearers inspired to be better people and more faithful Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second kind of preaching is less prevalent in popular megachurches and more prominent in Reformed evangelical circles. \u201cBe transformed by the renewing of your mind,\u201d chapter 12 of Paul\u2019s Epistle to the Romans says\u2014and so the doctrinal preachers aim at the mind<\/em>. Committed to expository preaching, most doctrinal preachers work slowly through books, exegeting the text verse by verse, sometimes spending years in books like the Gospel of John or Romans or Hebrews, bringing out at every step the theology embedded in the text. Hearers of doctrinal preaching, in its best forms, leave humbled by a \u201cbig-God theology\u201d and a more nuanced grasp of God\u2019s character and his activity in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some ways, moral preaching and doctrinal preaching are opposed to one another. The former aims at the hands<\/em>; the latter aims at the head<\/em>. \u201cWhat we need,\u201d many moral preachers will say, \u201cis not more stuffy theology but something practical for our lives.\u201d Doctrinal preachers might respond that such preaching is legalistic, heaping heavy burdens on Christians\u2014all law, no gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As someone who has spent years of my life under both kinds of preaching, and who now preaches most Sunday mornings, I am convinced that both kinds of preaching fall short. Neither moral preaching nor doctrinal preaching leads to lasting spiritual transformation, and ironically, there is another way that accomplishes the goals of both approaches (moral growth and doctrinal growth) better than either. This article will argue the most faithful, fruitful, and transformational kind of preaching is aimed not primarily at the head or the hands, but at the heart\u2014what we\u2019ll call \u201caffectional preaching.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Chalmers and Edinburgh\u2019s Pride Parade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the heart of Edinburgh stands a statue of 19th-century Scottish preacher and statesman Thomas Chalmers. Last summer, I had the chance to spend a week in Scotland, and I paid Chalmers a visit. He was just one stop on my day off in Edinburgh, so I quickly moved on to see other sites. Halfway between Chalmers and the historic home of Scotland\u2019s most famous churchman, the Protestant Reformer John Knox, I learned I was in Edinburgh on the day of the city\u2019s pride parade. In fact, not far from Knox\u2019s house, I quite literally got stuck in the parade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After squeezing my way in between the thousands of marchers to get to Knox\u2019s house, I watched people pour through the streets for nearly an hour\u2014young and old, plainly dressed and decked out, many holding signs, nearly all participating in chants. What struck me\u2014experiencing this scenario for the first time\u2014was the anger<\/em>. The chants were laced with profanities, the signs were vulgar, and the beating drums stirred a sense of violence. The whole vibe was one of rage. As I stood outside John Knox\u2019s house, fresh from visiting Thomas Chalmers\u2019s statue, I recalled Chalmers\u2019s famous sermon: \u201cThe Expulsive Power of a New Affection.\u201d The pride parade, in a way, embodied our first kind of preaching: moralist preaching. But Chalmers famously took a different tack<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

There are two ways in which [one] may attempt to displace from the human heart its love of the world\u2014either by a demonstration of the world\u2019s vanity, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon simply to withdraw its regards from an object that is not worthy of it; or, by setting forth another object, even God, as more worthy of its attachment, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon not to resign an old affection, which shall have nothing to succeed it, but to exchange an old affection for a new one. \u2026 The former method is altogether incompetent and ineffectual [and] \u2026 the latter method will alone suffice for the rescue and recovery of the heart from the wrong affection that domineers over it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Chalmers says there are two ways to inspire change: you can try to convince your hearers that what they\u2019re doing is bad, and they need to stop it right now, or you can offer them something better, something more beautiful, \u201canother object, even God, as more worthy of [the heart\u2019s] attachment.\u201d You can\u2019t, Chalmers went on, get a person to cut away \u201cthe spring or the principle of one\u201d affection without providing him a better one: \u201cThe whole heart and habit will rise in resistance against such an undertaking.\u201d What you must do, rather, is display for your hearer the beauty and glory of God as a better object than anything else by which our affections might be held; only this can \u201cdispost [the world] from [its] ascendancy\u201d in the human heart.\u201d This is affectional preaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christianity: A Matter of the Heart<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chalmers was not, in this sermon, offering something novel. He was simply pulling on the thread of Edwardsian, Augustinian, and\u2014this preacher would argue\u2014biblical Christianity. He understood that faith is, in large part, a matter of the heart\u2014the affections. But this means more than it might appear at first glance. How should we define affections<\/em>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his famous work Religious Affections<\/em>, Jonathan Edwards defined affections<\/a> as \u201cthe more vigorous and sensible exercises of the inclination and will of the soul.\u201d Edwards uses both \u201cinclination\u201d and \u201cwill\u201d to refer to the \u201cfaculty \u2026 by which the soul does not merely perceive and view things, but is in some way inclined<\/em> with respect to the things it views or considers\u201d (emphasis mine). I do not merely perceive or view dark chocolate after a savory meal; my soul inclines toward it. Thus, I have affection toward a delicious piece of chocolate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart is large enough to hold many affections\u2014some greater than others. The greatest affections are those expressed in more \u201cvigorous\u201d and \u201csensible\u201d exercises\u2014\u201cvigorous\u201d meaning strong or intense, and \u201csensible\u201d meaning tangible, moving not only the ephemeral \u201cheart\u201d but making the blood rush and the physical heart beat faster. Thus, as strong as my affection for chocolate may be, my affection for my favorite sports team is stronger. Stronger still is my affection for my children and my wife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue religion,\u201d Edwards said, \u201cin great part, consists in holy affections \u2026 in vigorous and lively actings of the inclination and will of the soul, or the fervent exercises of the heart.\u201d Edwards is arguing, in other words, that the mark of true Christianity is a heart strongly inclined toward Christ. Affections, Tim Keller neatly summarized<\/a>, are \u201cthe inclination of the whole person when sensing the beauty and excellence of some object. When our heart inclines toward the object in love, it propels us to acquire and protect it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Edwards offers a robust (some might say abstruse<\/em>) explanation of the affection, Augustine offers another way of understanding what drives the inclinations of our heart: Happiness. The bishop of Hippo was constantly talking about it. We understand he didn\u2019t mean some fleeting, flippant feeling that flutters away as quickly as it comes\u2014for which reason I\u2019ve chosen to capitalize the word. Rather, Augustine has in view a deep, soul-level satisfaction and contentment\u2014the same thing he famously referred to as \u201crest\u201d in the opening sentences of the Confessions<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Augustine believed<\/a>, with the ancient philosophers, that the thing which every person chiefly desires is Happiness. Our affections are given to the people or things we think will bring us the Happiness we long for. If you believe money will give you the good life, you\u2019ll find yourself responding \u201cvigorously and sensibly\u201d to a big day on Wall Street. If you believe your preferred political candidate can give you the good life, you\u2019ll find yourself responding with great emotion to perceived threats to his or her ascendancy. If you believe your romantic partner can bring you true Happiness, you\u2019ll be overjoyed when they treat you well and despondent when they neglect to show you love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all want, at bottom, to be happy. Our affections are the inclination of our hearts toward those things we believe will give us that Happiness. And true religion, or genuine Christianity, consists in large part of holy affections\u2014in hearts strongly inclined toward Christ as the only source of Happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preaching and the Affections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This must mean that Christian preaching is an attempt to participate in the transformation of the affections of one\u2019s hearers. And this is what I have in mind with the concept of \u201caffectional preaching.\u201d Affectional preaching is preaching aimed at the transformation of one’s heart. It seeks to set before the hearts of hearers another object, a better object, even Christ, in contrast to things toward which their hearts are already inclined. Affectional preaching helps them to detach their hearts from the idols of money and sex and power and politics and family and attach their hearts to the only stable and sure source of Happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preachers are one of God\u2019s instruments for detaching<\/em> human hearts from objects that make empty promises of Happiness and attaching<\/em> them<\/a> instead to \u201cthat which abides forever and can\u2019t be taken away from [them] by any cruel act of fortune.\u201d God himself is the only one who fits the bill. He alone, Augustin argued, is the \u201cNorth Star\u201d to which we can entrust ourselves. Preachers are to hold him out before our hearers, helping them taste and see that the Lord is good\u2014indeed, better than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, affectional preaching is more effective than both moral preaching and doctrinal preaching at producing what moral preaching and doctrinal preaching aim to produce. Moral preaching aims for transformed actions, but only when the heart is transformed will actions be lastingly changed. Doctrinal preaching aims for transformed thoughts, but only when we love God will we be driven to know more about him, not for the knowledge that puffs up but the love that builds up. \u201cWhat the heart most wants,” Keller wrote, “the mind finds reasonable, the emotions find valuable, and the will finds doable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preaching for the Affections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much should be said about how to preach to the affections. I would recommend, for a start, Keller\u2019s Preaching<\/em> and his \u201cPreaching in a Postmodern World\u201d lectures. We could offer a few points in brief. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, preach Scripture. Thankfully, preachers have a great aid in affectional preaching: the Bible itself! Our task is not<\/em> to rely on ingenuity or wit to appeal to the affections of our hearers but to simply preach Christ and him crucified. We do this from Scripture, for \u201cwhat Scripture is for<\/em> is the conversion of human affection.\u201d Preaching Christ from every text of Scripture\u2014which is not less<\/em> than moral or doctrinal preaching, but is always much more\u2014is the only way to reliably \u201cset forth another object\u201d before the affections of our hearers, and is thus the only way to reliably participate in their lasting spiritual transformation. For this reason, my aim in preaching is to show my hearers, by a faithful exposition of the biblical text, that Christ is a better object for the attachment of their hearts than anyone or anything else that exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, preach Christ and his gospel from all<\/em> of Scripture. In Luke 24, after his death and resurrection, Jesus famously appeared incognito <\/em>to two of his despondent disciples. He asked them why they were so down. Haven\u2019t you heard,<\/em> they asked, the things that have happened?<\/em> Jesus responded: What things?<\/em> When they told him about their despair\u2014we thought<\/em> we\u2019d found the Messiah, but he\u2019s been crucified!\u2014Jesus proceeded to offer them the most important hermeneutical lecture in church history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

He said to them, \u201cHow foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?\u201d And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself<\/em>. <\/em>(Luke 24:25\u201327, emphasis mine)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Jesus did not <\/em>say, \u201cIn a few decades, some of my disciples are going to write these spiritual biographies called Gospels, and they\u2019ll explain it all to you.\u201d He didn\u2019t say, \u201cWait until I convert this guy named Paul\u2014he\u2019ll tell you why I had to be crucified.\u201d No, Jesus told them clearly: The Old Testament itself, at every turn, bears witness to my death and resurrection. <\/em>Approaches regarding how <\/em>to preach Christ from the Old Testament vary; more important, however, than how <\/em>preachers do so is that <\/em>they do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third, preach the beauty of Christ in contrast to the allure of your hearer\u2019s idols. This requires cultural exegesis\u2014understanding what your community looks to for Happiness and what stirs their affections. In the midsize college town where I grew up, the local university\u2019s sports teams were one of the biggest idols. In the neighborhood where I now live and pastor, progressive notions of freedom and justice predominate. Your community may idolize physical safety, creature comforts, and money. It may idolize health and wellness, beauty and strength. It may be steeped in another religion, with citizens looking to a literal idol or another god for Happiness. Whatever the case, you as a preacher must become intimately familiar with these idols and show the people how Christ is more beautiful still. For instance, if your community idolizes sports, demonstrate how the belonging and success they seek through a team are fleeting, but in Christ, they are eternal. If they value justice, show how Christ, the eternal King, brings perfect justice without creating new oppressors\u2014fulfilling their deepest desires but in a far better way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fourth, use strong, gripping illustrations. The heart is more moved by narrative and anecdotes and word pictures than it is by propositional statements. That doesn\u2019t mean we jettison propositions\u2014by no means! Rather, we must often illustrate the propositions with gripping stories or word pictures to get them from our hearers\u2019 heads to their hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, soak your sermon, before, during, and after, in prayer. Augustine wrote his work On Christian Doctrine <\/em>to give instruction for how to teach and preach the Bible, but my biggest takeaway had nothing to do with methods of Christian instruction. Rather, this book taught me that preachers should give far more attention to personal integrity and prayer than to skill in communication. Charles Spurgeon was famously converted by what must be one of the worst recorded sermons in the history of the English language. Rhetorical skill is far from the most important part of preaching. If our aim is to move hearts, God\u2019s Spirit must be active. And we should implore him to act by praying: for ourselves, for the clarity of our communication, for open minds and hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I hope these applicational points are helpful, how <\/em>you preach for the affections is far less important than that <\/em>you do it. For what our hearers need most is not moral inspiration or doctrinal instruction but an encounter with the living God. We need to behold him, and in beholding him, to be transformed. Indeed, when we preach Christ to the hearts of our hearers, they can say with the Apostle Paul: \u201cAnd we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord\u2019s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit\u201d (2 Cor. 3:18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor Combs serves as lead pastor of King\u2019s Cross Church in East Nashville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What do we mean when we talk about \u201cgood preaching\u201d?  Two kinds of preaching predominate the American evangelical landscape today: the first we\u2019ll call \u201cmoral preaching,\u201d and the second we\u2019ll call \u201cdoctrinal preaching.\u201d Moral preaching is\u2014as should be self-evident\u2014preaching that aims at moral transformation. It has in its sights the way that we live. At Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":1861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[3130],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[429],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3457,3825,4604,4608,4688],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-1860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-taylor-combs","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-augustine","tax_ctp_tags-doctrine","tax_ctp_tags-pastor","tax_ctp_tags-pastoral-care","tax_ctp_tags-preaching"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nThe Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why moral inspiration and doctrinal instruction fall short\u2014and how preaching that transforms the heart achieves what both approaches seek.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why moral inspiration and doctrinal instruction fall short\u2014and how preaching that transforms the heart achieves what both approaches seek.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg?resize=1200,628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Taylor Combs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Poblete\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/7ed0b7eb3f9f0df36fa1471dde5c72e3\"},\"headline\":\"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/\"},\"wordCount\":2752,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/\",\"name\":\"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart - CT Pastors\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Why moral inspiration and doctrinal instruction fall short\u2014and how preaching that transforms the heart achieves what both approaches seek.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg\",\"width\":3000,\"height\":1688,\"caption\":\"Close up of a stained glass window. Jesus pointing to sacred heart.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"description\":\"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Christianity Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"caption\":\"Christianity Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/7ed0b7eb3f9f0df36fa1471dde5c72e3\",\"name\":\"Chris Poblete\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6753039eab40718795479be0277a68fb33976af62a47cda086d70c5367ff7c89?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6753039eab40718795479be0277a68fb33976af62a47cda086d70c5367ff7c89?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris Poblete\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart - CT Pastors","description":"Why moral inspiration and doctrinal instruction fall short\u2014and how preaching that transforms the heart achieves what both approaches seek.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart - CT Pastors","og_description":"Why moral inspiration and doctrinal instruction fall short\u2014and how preaching that transforms the heart achieves what both approaches seek.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/","og_site_name":"CT Pastors","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","article_published_time":"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg?resize=1200,628","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Taylor Combs","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CTpastors","twitter_site":"@CTpastors","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/"},"author":{"name":"Chris Poblete","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/7ed0b7eb3f9f0df36fa1471dde5c72e3"},"headline":"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart","datePublished":"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/"},"wordCount":2752,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/","name":"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart - CT Pastors","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-14T11:00:00+00:00","description":"Why moral inspiration and doctrinal instruction fall short\u2014and how preaching that transforms the heart achieves what both approaches seek.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg","width":3000,"height":1688,"caption":"Close up of a stained glass window. Jesus pointing to sacred heart."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","name":"CT Pastors","description":"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization","name":"Christianity Today","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","caption":"Christianity Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/7ed0b7eb3f9f0df36fa1471dde5c72e3","name":"Chris Poblete","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6753039eab40718795479be0277a68fb33976af62a47cda086d70c5367ff7c89?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6753039eab40718795479be0277a68fb33976af62a47cda086d70c5367ff7c89?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Chris Poblete"}}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart","url":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/lost-art-preaching-heart\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg"},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":"Taylor Combs","creator":"Taylor Combs","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"CT Pastors","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2025-01-14T11:00:00Z","datePublished":"2025-01-14T11:00:00Z","dateModified":"2025-01-14T11:00:00Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/lost-art-preaching-heart\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/lost-art-preaching-heart\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/19\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg\"},\"articleSection\":\"Uncategorized\",\"author\":\"Taylor Combs\",\"creator\":\"Taylor Combs\",\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2025-01-14T11:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-14T11:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-14T11:00:00Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/christianitytoday.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/jesus-heart-preaching-affections.jpg","byline":{"writer_byline":"Taylor Combs","writer_byline_override":""},"primary_category":null,"secondary_categories":[],"featured_video":null,"related_articles":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1860"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1862,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860\/revisions\/1862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_authors?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_books","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_books?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_categories?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guides","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guides?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_format?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_multimedia","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_multimedia?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_point_editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_point_editor?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_publications","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_publications?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_tags?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_topics?post=1860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}